Opinion

A Minnesota native deeply moved by nature, I must have been in high school when I had the unforgettable opportunity to work with renowned National Geographic photographer Jim Brandenburg. On a frigid winter night, we ventured into the untouched wilderness near Ely, Minnesota. The cold was biting and the silence — vast and consuming. An audio technician placed microphones on the frozen lake, and…

There once was a little candle whose flame was beginning to dim. Her light is dimmed by clouds of hardship: a D-minus in math, social media bullying and the recent loss of her grandmother. She tries to push the clouds away, but as other hardships accumulate, she begins to lose hope. The darker and heavier the clouds, the more tired she gets, and it appears her flame might go out entirely.…

This is the second installment in my four-part series of columns on how I feel we have too many choices. My last column dealt with the onslaught of choices regarding barbecue sauces. This week I was overwhelmed by the choices in the world of paint. Our local Ace Hardware is ground zero when it comes to paint choices: brands, color, sheen, and now even texture. First, brands. At Ace you can pick…

Berghorst: Supporting child care: A community commitment To the Editor: For decades our community has struggled with a lack of available child care. As in-home providers retire, fewer individuals are stepping in to fill the gap, leaving many families without reliable options. While it's easy to criticize the investment required to address this issue — especially online — it’s far more…

So how many of you have even heard of the Land and Legacy Amendment? Of those of you who recognize the term, how many of you are familiar with what it is and how it operates? I am so surprised how the average Minnesotan is so disconnected from this title. Let us give you a little background. It was during one of the biggest recessions of the past 40 years that the citizens of Minnesota made a…

Yukon Cornelius is the name of the Arctic prospector in the animated holiday special, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” It’s also the name we’ve given to our new-to-us GMC Yukon sport utility vehicle. Like the animated character, our Yukon has become a trusted friend, especially after a recent drive to California to visit our youngest son. My husband and I spent nine days, 3,676 miles and an…

Free health care for illegal immigrants: At what cost to Minnesotans?   To the Editor, A concerned constituent recently sent me a text message regarding the escalating cost of providing medical care to illegal immigrants in the state of Minnesota. Here’s what’s currently in place: In the 2023 Health and Human Services budget bill, illegal immigrants were granted free coverage under…

The smoke is in the air. Anyone who has been driving around the countryside lately will have seen lots of smoke. The different departments of wildlife agencies have been very busy doing prescribed fire. Yours truly has been doing the same, mostly for private land owners who have acres enrolled in CRP.  It seems that no matter how many times I include the rationale for spring burning, I always…

The Star Herald last week was pleased to be invited by Congressman Brad Finstad’s office to join him at the local John Deere dealership for a tour and visit with local people. “Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) will be visiting C&B Operations in Luverne on Friday, April 25, at 1:30 p.m. CT,” the email message read. “Press is welcome to attend. Please reply … if you plan to join.” We replied…

Her brow furrowed in disapproval, my nine-year-old violin instructor releases another exasperated sigh. “Gra-maw! Your ‘second’ finger!!!!” She reaches for the instrument and again demonstrates the finger progression required “to tell Aunt Rhody the old gray goose is dead.” We are in Kentucky where children play the violin and call their grandmothers “Gra-maw.” I have been a violin student…

‘Junk Days’ are among many things to love about Luverne   To the Editor: With recent social media criticism of the city of Luverne, I felt it in my heart to reflect on the past 23 years. Truthfully, I wasn’t supposed to move here. The plan was for my fiancé to move to where I was. But 24 years ago, he brought me to Luverne to try and change my mind. Moving here meant uprooting my daughter and…

Sometimes coming up with a topic for my column takes more time than actually typing it out. So the other day when I was throwing column ideas around in my head, I stumbled across writing a series of columns on how I think we have way too many choices. The first topic of overabundance of choices will focus on barbecue sauces to choose from. My area of research was conducted standing in front of…

Held in April every year, National Volunteer Month is a time to celebrate and recognize the contributions of volunteers. It is an opportunity to join the impact of volunteerism and encourage more people to get involved in their communities. And it’s a great month to reaffirm personal commitments to giving back. In Rock County in 2024, 690 volunteers donated 53,835 hours of service at 64…

How was your Easter? It’s a fair Monday morning question following the Easter Sunday holiday. My short answer: I ate too much ham and cheesy potatoes and enjoyed my favorite people. My longer answer (which no one had time for after a three-day weekend): It was blessed (the two-syllable version of the word, bless-ed). For many reasons. First, there was the miracle in the riverbank at the…

I can remember many decades ago that my local chapter of Pheasants Forever decided they needed some kind of a local project to let folks know we existed and to maybe get a little bigger footprint in the local community. We decided that if we adopted a section of Highway 60 between Worthington and Bigelow, Minnesota, we would get our name on the sign the Minnesota DOT would put up. It worked, and…

My youngest daughter is getting married next Saturday, and she’s asked me to give a little speech at the event. I’m happy to oblige. It’s not very often that children ask parents what they think, let alone listen to what they have to say. Thoughts about what I’ll say are still being formed, as Lyndsey has taken a very long route in the choices of how she’s living her life. I’d liken Lyndsey…